“Midair collusion” of American Airlines plane with Black Hawk helicopter near Washington DC, two bodies recovered

STC NEWS MONITORING DESK
JANUARY 30 (STC): An American Airlines plane collided midair with a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington DC airport early Thursday, reports news agency Associated Press and adds the crash took place when the plane was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. The helicopter that collided with passenger jet was flown by the Army.
There are been no confirmation of casualties, news agency Associated Press reported. All takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington have been halted.
US President Donald Trump “has been made aware of this situation and tragically it appears that a military helicopter collided with a regional jet,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News.
A video circulating on social media, showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball. The video was shot with an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center.
The airport said emergency personnel were responding to “an aircraft incident on the airfield.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration said the collision remains under investigation. Washington, DC, police said on the social platform X that multiple agencies are conducting a search and rescue effort in the Potomac River after an aircraft crash.
According to Reuters, as of now at least two bodies have been recovered. Law enforcement helicopters flew over the area looking for survivors, and rescue boats were sent into the river from a location near the airport along the George Washington Parkway.
The plane was American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, and was a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet. It had taken off from Wichita, Kansas, earlier that day. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, working with the FAA. The FAA said the information is based on early details and could change as more facts are gathered. (STC)